Churches Go Green: Leaders Cite Both Spiritual and Financial Motives
from the Kalamazoo Gazette
Caring for the Earth and reducing energy expenses are two of the reasons some Kalamazoo, Mich.-area churches are focusing on going green. Their moves may be small, such as eliminating the use of plastic-foam coffee cups. Or they may be major, such as including energy-efficient features in construction projects, as St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish in Kalamazoo has done. In either case, the goals are the same. More

Kentucky Church Adds Solar Power
from The Courier-Journal
Bob Eiden spent his Earth Day on the roof at St. William Church in Louisville, Ky., with volunteers who installed 15 solar panels. Organizers said they hadn't been able to find any other churches in Kentucky that have installed photovoltaic panels, which convert the energy from the sun to electricity. "This is a tangible way of showing care for God's creation," said Tim Darst, a member of St. William and the executive director of Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light, a nonprofit organization whose mission is mobilizing a religious response to global warming. More

Christians Call for Greater Action on Earth Day
from The Christian Post
More Christian groups and individuals called for greater involvement and lifestyle changes on Earth Day than in past years. And many are becoming more active through a number of Green initiatives and campaigns. More

Church Budget-cutting: Prudent Planning or Excessive Anxiety?
from the Associated Baptist Press
As the nation’s economic crisis seeps further into congregations, budget cuts are the order of the day. But are churches reacting more to fear than facts? The financial pain for churches is real. But evidence is mixed about how much member giving is suffering right now and how widespread -- or necessary -- budget cutting has become. More

Study: Religious Donors Don't Plan to Cut Back
from Religion News Service via USA Today
Despite the economic downturn, more than half of actively religious donors plan to give the same or more to charitable causes in 2009 as they did last year, a new survey shows. Cygnus Applied Research completed a survey of more than 17,000 U.S. donors to charitable causes in February. It found that 57 percent of actively religious donors said they expected to give more or the same amount to charitable causes as they did in 2008. More

The Antidote to Technological Isolation
from Pastors.com
With Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo and LinkedIn, churches are digitally connected with thousands of people. We can have a false sense of community because we have contact with so many people, but often have no real connections. We can have loads of information at our fingertips, but rarely interact with it in a way that makes a difference or results in life-change. More

Tips to Help Your Church Survive the Recession
from the Examiner
The national recession is affecting every area of life from dining out to buying shoes for the kids. It's also affecting church giving. While the church continues to require operating funds to function, it becomes increasingly challenging to meet ministry needs when giving is down. Here are some ways to help your church continue to minister to your community during the recession without going under. More

Opportunity's Hard Knocks
from the Leadership Journal
In its bulletin each week, an Illinois church advises "When to Call the Church Office." According to the list, in addition to the usual life passages of births, illnesses, and death, members should notify the ministry team of "termination of employment." Even in well-heeled congregations, there is much talk today about faltering markets, tight wallets, and job cuts. Now is the time to consider the vital role of pastoral ministry to families facing hard times. What can you do? More

When is Ministry Too Dangerous?
from Church Central
Churches have initiated new security measures, especially in recent years in the wake of violence at church and ministry sites in Colorado, and even as recently as last month in Illinois. Questions remain as to whether all this security actually protects a school or a church from the violent emotional venting of outcasts that turn their inner pain into outer brutality. The dilemma that faces many congregations, however, is the juxtaposition of both ministry and security concerns. More

Children’s Ministry Changes Lives and Churches
from Church Executive Magazine
Those who have spent years in children’s ministry have felt at times that we were harvesting the ripe field all by themselves. Now, though, churches are waking up and seeing the white field before them — a field that is filled with children. More

Motivating Your Sunday School
from LifeWay
Coaching a winning Sunday school requires that Pastors and other leaders motivate their team members to achieve more than they thought possible. The most successful Sunday Schools are often those that comprised of ordinary believers who are highly motivated to do a great job for God's glory. The question to consider is: How can Pastors cheer their Sunday School teams on to victory? More

Texas Baptists Engage in 'GPS' Outreach
from the Baptist Press
Excitement mounted as Baptists, young and old, sought to invite fellow residents to Easter services in Lubbock, Texas, to hear the Gospel. Their invitations were part of a Southern Baptist vision for sharing the Gospel with everyone in North America by the year 2020 -- the scope of the North American Mission Board-facilitated "GPS: God's Plan for Sharing." More